City to Set Hearing Date on Hank’s Expansion Request

1624 Q Street NW: Hank’s Oyster Bar wants to expand into the empty space shown in the left side of the photo, on the east side of the restaurant. (Luis Gomez Photos)

At a preliminary hearing on Monday the city will set a date for the actual hearing on the expansion of Hank’s Oyster Bar at 1624 Q Street NW. Protests will be heard at the future hearing by the Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Board at the ; it is part of DC’s Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA).

The hearing will be an opportunity for anyone who opposes Hank’s expansion to present their case to the ABC Board. The Board, which consists of seven mayoral appointees, will issue a ruling on Hank’s request within 90 days following the hearing.

Residents Protesting Expansion

A group of 23 Dupont Circle residents recently filed a protest with ABRA over Hank’s Oyster Bar. The expansion would be into the vacant space adjacent to Hank’s on the east side of the restaurant, adding additional seating inside and outside. Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 2B-Dupont is not opposing the expansion.

ABRA Notice

From the ABRA notice (page 3 of PDF): “Notice is hereby given that this licensee has applied for a substantial change to his license under the D.C. Alcoholic Beverage Control Act and that the objectors are entitled to be heard before the granting of such on the hearing date at 10:00 am, 2nd Floor, Suite 2000, 1250 U Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20009. Petition and/or request to appear before the Board must be filed on or before the petition date. The licensee requests the following substantial change: Expansion of the premises to include an increase to 80 seats. There is an additional expansion to increase the Sidewalk Café seating by 20 seats.”